We used to dream.

In my childhood, scientists and especially physicists were heroes. The pictures of Apollo 11, Viking, or Hubble were astonishing to me. We were literally reaching for the stars.

With admiration, engineering documentations explained German engineering from the present and the possible future — like our ICE and Maglev systems.

Yes, there were discussions about the environment and potential problems, but it was always with a solution in mind — something better that didn’t even come with that particular problem.

There was a prosperous and bright future of a better world right at our fingertips.

The same state-backed TV channels I viewed as a child have replaced the dreamers with moral de-growthers.

The “known TV physicist” we have here literally advocates for less space travel. Advocates for less technology. Literally advocates for less energy. Does not praise engineering marvels on trains but advocates for bike zones as an answer to climate change.

I find Copenhagen nice, too. But it is literally insane that a physicist does not inspire us to reach for the stars and instead chooses to get onto TV to speculate about bike zone concepts of municipalities. That’s it?

We look into what’s next and only see the bad. But we can’t even know for sure.

We literally manage the decay instead of celebrating the future.

We used to dream.